


glitter on the floor

by onakissgodknows



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Ficlet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 20:52:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13085148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onakissgodknows/pseuds/onakissgodknows
Summary: The season ends with a fizzle, not a bang, like a Fourth of July sparkler left to burn out on the pavement without fanfare.





	glitter on the floor

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this ficlet is from New Year's Day by Taylor Swift, which is about after the initial excitement has all died away from something and you're left with the mundane, but you want to stay anyway. I have a lot of feelings about that.

The season ends with a fizzle, not a bang, like a Fourth of July sparkler left to burn out on the pavement without fanfare.

It was a dumb game, and really, it was over early, leaving Anthony to start thinking about next year by the fifth inning. They made it this far this year by the skin of their teeth, sheer force of will and stubbornness, and an unwillingness to say die. Nobody can say they went down without a fight.

Anthony has nothing to complain about. When he came to the Cubs in 2012, he never imagined they’d make it to the NLCS three years in a row. He’s pretty sure _nobody_ expects that, let alone anybody who plays for the Chicago Cubs.

After they watch the Dodgers celebrate on the same field the Cubs celebrated on a year ago, Anthony stands in the shower longer than anybody else, practically ready to fall asleep right there under the hot water, until he finally feels like he’s washed off an entire season’s worth of sweat and dirt. It will be nice to have a break.

Kris is in the locker room when Anthony comes out – waiting for him, Anthony guesses. He’s already dressed in his street clothes, cap on backwards, and thumbs tapping away at a game on his phone. “Hey,” Anthony says to Kris as he gets dressed.

“Hey,” Kris says, brow furrowed and tongue poking out of his mouth as he concentrates hard at, Anthony doesn’t know, beating the next level of Candy Crush or something.

Anthony finishes dressing and sits down next to Kris, who pockets his phone but doesn’t look at him. Anthony nudges Kris’s hand with his and Kris laces their fingers together.

It feels different this year, to sit with Kris after losing the NLCS. They did this in 2015, and Anthony had to set aside his feelings because Kris was a rookie then, and he needed Anthony to be a comfort, not to wallow in his own disappointment. (Okay, Kris hadn’t _asked_ him to do that, and never would have, but sometimes Anthony thinks he knows Kris better than Kris knows himself.)

There are a lot of things Anthony _could_ say, like _hey at least we got Jake one more win_ or _man we’ll always have the NLDS_ , but he doesn’t think Kris needs it. Kris has the perspective of a couple of years in the majors, and a lot of success under his belt. Nobody wants to lose, but this year it feels so much less devastating than it could have. Switching from daily adrenaline rushes and the breakneck pace of the postseason to the steadiness and quiet of the offseason is almost appealing.

 _Almost_.

Anthony’s heart is still too competitive to truly be _okay_ with a tough loss, but Kris leans in and nestles his head on Anthony’s shoulder, and he thinks they’ll survive.

He turns his face to kiss Kris’s temple. “Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on the tumblr [here](https://on-a-kiss-god-knows.tumblr.com/).


End file.
